The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-09-24

The requesition was complied with.
Cyrus, King Of Persia. under the same
circumstances. prescribed that on the
table there must be nothing but bread.
OF course these were extremes, but
they are illustrations Of the fact that
more depends upon the banqucters
than upon the banquet. 4 want 20 lift
this idea OF Christian entertainment
out Of positive bondage, into glori-
GUS indncement. Every effort you
put forth, and every dollar You give TO
the entertainment OF friend or foe,
you give directly 10 Christ Suppose
II We're announced that the Lord Jesus
Christ would come 10 this place this
week, what woman in this house would
not be glad to wash for Him; or spread
for him a bed; or bake bread for him?
There was one OF old who washed for
him. drawing the water from the well
OF her own tears. lie Is coming He
will be here tomorrow.
He who opens his house to Chris
tian hospitality turns those who are
strangers into friends Years will go
by, and there viii be great changes in
them. Some day YOU will be sitting
in loneliness. watching a bereavement.
and you will get letter in strange
hand writing and you will look ut the
postofice mark. and say: "Why, /
don't know anybody living in that
city," and you will break the envelope,
and there you win read the story of
thanks for your Christian generosity
long years before, and how they have
heard afar off of your trouble. eAnd
the letter will be SO full Of kindly rem
iniscences and Christian coincidence, 10
will be plaster large enough 10 cover
up all the deep gashes of your soul.
When we take people into our
houses as Christian guests, we take
them into our sympathies forever. In
bort. Holland, soldier with sword
at his side stopped at a house, desiring
lodging and shelter. The woman of
the house at first refused admittance,
saving that the men OF the house were
not at home; but when he showed liis
credentials. that he had been honor
ably discharged from the army,h he was
admitted and tarried during the night.
In the night time there was knock
ing az the front door, and two ruflians
broke in TO despoil that household.
No sooner had they come over the door
sill than the armed guest, who had
primed his piece and charged it with
slugs, met them, and telling me
woman 10 stand back, am happy TO
say, dropped the two assaulting des-
40 ut tc oil
there are no bandits prowling around
to destroy our houses; but how often
il is that we find those that have been
our guests become our defenders. We
gave them shelter first, and then after
wards, in the great conflict of life,
they fought for our reputation; they
fought for our property; they fought
for Our soul.
Another reward that comes from
Christian hospitality is in the assur-
ance that we shall have hospitality
shown TO us and TO ours. In the up
turnings OF this life, who knows in
what city or what land we may be
thrown, and how much we may need
an open door, There may come ne
such crisis 10 us, but our children may
be thrown into some such straight
He who is in a Christian manner hos
pitable has free pass through all
IL may be that you will |
have been dead fifty years before any
such stress shall come upon any one of |
your ecendants, but do you no sup
pose that God can remember fifty |
years? and the knuckle of the grand. /
child will be heard against the door Of |
some stranger, and that door will open,
and it will be talked over in heaven,
and il will be said: "That mans |
fifty years ago, gave
shelter 10 stranger, and now a
strangers door is open for a grand
SON.
Among the Greeks after entertain
ing and being entertained, they take
piece of lead and cut it in two, and
the host talks one half OF the piece of |
lead and the guest takes the other
half as they part. These two pieces
Of lead are handed down from
generation 10 generation, and from |
family to family, and after while |
perhaps one of the families in want |
or in trouble SO out with this
one piece OF lead, and find the other
family with the corresponding piece
of lead. and no sooner Is the tally |
than the old hospitality |
Is aroused and eternal friendship /
pledged. So the memory Of Christian
will go down from genera
ton to generation, and from family |